(profiled in post below)<\/a><\/p>\nlook out !! – The ‘Docs’ are coming back, not just to re-claim their fair share of the ‘art’ product turf – but, hopefully, to muscle in on some of that art ‘product’ cash flow – CINDY SHERMAN, NAN GOLDIN – move over !! <\/p>\n
How many ‘Doc’ pix – did you see in ELI BROAD’S collection – ? EXACTLY. that’s what I mean – none !! <\/em>– his collection was so behind<\/em> the curve, as to be absolutely embarrassing. well, that’s the great thing about art – art moves on !! and you gotta follow the flow – and the flow is: the ‘Docs’ vs. the ‘Posers’ !! and in APRIL 2008 – the ‘Docs’ are winning.<\/p>\n(who<\/em> said ‘posed’\/staged\/theatrical photos outrank or beat the archival photo, as ‘art’ product – anyways ? I’d like to punch ’em out – well. ok. back in the 80’s they were pretty hot.) <\/p>\nbye the way – ‘Poser’ in this case – refers to ‘posed’ or ‘staged’ photos, and, after-the-fact bio pix, and definitely what is, today – mostly, all deadbeat stale & staged – performance art.
\nunless you want to consider THE DARK FAIR – performance art – and I do !!<\/p>\n
and . . . yo!, we don’t mean the ‘ULTIMATE POSERS’ – that’s a whole other POSER category – those guys are very much in the ‘Doc’ game. the NATE LOWMAN\/DAN COLEN, ‘WET PAIN’ show at MACCARONE – was very much a NYC ‘Doc’\/style show !!
\nwe include RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA, URS FISHER, maybe PAUL McCARTHY & definite, yes – the obvious hit of the month – RYAN McGINLEY – all as ‘Doc’ worthy !!<\/p>\n
and, no<\/em> – we don’t mean all we ever want to see is ‘Docs’ – we’ll ride that crazy DARK FAIR\/MILWAUKEE INTERNATIONAL train – any old day. It’s just a matter – of stopping – to state the obvious – ‘Doc’ is the flavor flav of SPRING 2008 – NYC.<\/p>\na great graphic design is still a great graphic design – & – you still jump – when one comes your way. in fact – this year’s SENIOR CLASS – GRAPHIC DESIGN\/ADVERTISING at SVA – really rocked the art student\/young professional turf – they contributed a lot of buzz to artlovers to follow up on – esp the SAGMEISTER show – so much so – here’s a shout out to them – they graduate this MAY 2008 – congrats!<\/p>\n
comic\/illustration still rocks much of the art here. PICTUREBOX, TAYLOR McKIMENS, MATT LEINES, the CINDERS crew, BRIAN CHIPPENDALE, even BRIAN BELOTT – some of the new street artists – they are just gonna get bigger, and bigger. <\/p>\n
but all-in-all, those guys made their big splash – upon arrival – their wave has hit and – now a new wave is coming in – ‘staged’ photo\/tableaus\/re-created narratives\/stilted or academic performance pieces are out !! the ‘Docs’ – are back – and want back in – big time !!<\/p>\n
in fact, if you look no further, than that old ‘lost-it’ scourge of an art magazine – the APRIL 2008 – ARTFORUM – its mostly all ‘Doc’ realism\/or aiming for ‘Doc’ realism – almost all the way through – the endless parade of paid for\/full color\/full page gallery ads. (though as usual, the commentary is pretty much a waste of time) – whether actual photography – or painting\/drawing – ‘Doc’ aesthetics rule – from the black and white TOMOO GOKITA display at TAKA ISHII GALLERY in TOKYO; to more technically – RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA’S ‘Foster You’re Dead’ poster at GALLERIA EMI FONTANA in MILAN; to MARK TANSEY at FAURSCHOU.COM, wherever that is – to EIJA-LIISA AHTILA at MARIAN GOODMAN in New York, to GREGORY CREWDSON at LUHRING AUGUSTINE in New York, WHITE CUBE in LONDON, and GAGOSIAN in Los Angeles; (ok, the CREWDSONS are staged – but yell ‘Doc’ – so we’re letting them in) – to the obvious – archival PETER HUJAR photos at MATTHEW MARKS, and – the not-so-obvious – also in New York, at L & M ARTS – the Chinese artist TIANBING LI – whose documentary painting style him sets him, in my mind’s eye – right on top of that huge Asian horde wanting to devour the artworld beast, so badly, though, let’s be honest – if that CHINA market isn’t the artworld equivalent of a con – what is ? well, what do I know ’bout making money ? that’s just my<\/em> consensus on the actual contemporary art being shlepped to and from there. but, someone who’s been there – told me, even 2nd generation Chinese Americans who make it (very very big) in international finance\/law, whatever – as well as most other native (super wealthy) Asians, like filling their huge homes up with Chinese or South Asian artifacts, whether it be antiques or contemporary art. . put it this way – they ain’t big on collecting AMERICAN FOLK ART, be it SHAKER ART or AMERICAN VINTAGE QUILTS !! if they can be talked into buying CHUCK CLOSE – remains to be seen !!<\/p>\nbut, . . . back to the case at hand – the ‘Docs’.<\/p>\n
Julian Schnabel’s ‘BASQIUAT’, and even, ‘BEFORE NIGHT FALLS’ – were great – but !! both were actually formatted as: documentaries – by someone who could pull it off !! – the #1 question that young artists hitting this town ask – is – “was ‘BASQUIAT’ a true rendition” – and yes, it was, & it still is one of the greatest art movies ever made – but, the big diff from then to now – is – that ‘PLANET B-BOY’ and ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman” – are true ‘Docs’ !! – the real people – the real talent – in their real story, in their real time – pretty much caught – as they were living it, making their art moment – LIVE !! . Art and it seems, movie making has caught up to real time. ONDI TOMONER and VASCO NUNES caught the vibe, early on – as anyone who saw early footage of the JOSH HARRIS\/QUIET PARTY or the commercially released ‘DIG!’ already knows.<\/p>\n
just to add some perspective – can you just picture a bunch of pro theatrical Broadway dancers re-creating ‘PLANET B-BOY’ ? that’s such a ridiculous concept, such an ugly scenario – it just cracks me up – and, who else could play Paul H-O & CINDY SHERMAN – better than, they do !!
\nPaul H-O, video camera in hand – made to feel like a second cousin, if<\/em> that – to Cindy’s capital A ART photography. <\/p>\nit’s interesting to stop and consider – that – ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’ – is really about 2 – two !! – polarities – it’s not<\/em> just about the polarity of male and female – it’s also about the polarity of artist\/photographer (Cindy) vs. ‘Doc’\/photographer (Paul H-O). Not only does it give us exceptional bird’s eye views of how each side ‘creates’ – but it also – very much shows us which side is\/was favored by the artworld at that time – it was a very unbalanced and very unwarranted bias in favor of staged – ‘I am art’ product. What was wrong with the artworld – or really the big collectors, who determine and actually define – the market – at that time – (and now too, probably). Are they that unsubtle that they can only perceive art that is “plated” for them. how can any serious art maven – miss out on the significance, beauty and can-never-be reproduced ‘art’ of the Documentary photo ? <\/p>\nIn fact, Cindy’s work began as a kind of send up of the ‘Doc.’ And, her camera is also focused solely on herself – but not in real time – not as a visual journal – but as ‘making a point ‘ – ‘creating a fantasy’ – a personal ability to be camo\/girl in ‘mock-up’ land. Most of Cindy Sherman’s work (nix on those clown photos, ugh) is great art – no matter how you slice and dice it – but it’s not the only genre – why should it be the only photo on the a wall – in that huge grouping in ELI BROAD\/LA AA land ? Paul H-O might yet, get the final word. or at least a respectful re-evaluation from a new hipper generation. His ‘Doc’ photo art – is just as intense, just maybe not as capital A ART as Cindy’s.. His photo art is more akin to a digital version of ‘wake and bake’ – you know – like, when you wake up and the first thing you do is get stoned, that’s called ‘wake & bake ‘ – except in this case, it was – wake & film. the video camera diary vs. the staged portrait – why can’t it be both that score the artworld gold. the newly appreciated ‘Doc’ rush looks to be real. though these ‘Docs’ – are definitely not !! stoner ‘Docs’ – in the least !! – nor, could you term them ‘reality’ shows – without getting kicked in the face. though obviously, YouTube – and digital camera culture – helped set the tone.<\/p>\n
one last word: on ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’ – actually one of the things so fascinating about the film – is – how well – it gets across Cindy’s game – there is no put down of her work – but the role of observer is so well done by the ‘Doc’ behind the camera of the film – that the Eli Broads of the world – just can’t make the leap.<\/p>\n
(bye the way, heard that Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin hate each other – oops – we weren’t supposed to say that – if this needs to come down – so be it !! can’t resist the low-down, for the moment.)<\/p>\n
SO, . . who else is in the ‘Doc’ game ?
\nbesides the filmmakers above, and of course the 22 young artist\/photographers in ’22 YEARS OF AMERICAN YOUTH’ – ‘BEING TRUE’\/NIKE – that surfaced recently at the journal Gallery.<\/p>\n
#1 – all those great ROCK N’ ROLL chroniclers, of any decade !!!<\/p>\n
AARON ROSE’S ANP QUARTERLY is great ‘Doc’ art magazine.<\/p>\n
and, well, no brainer – how about last Fall’s LARRY CLARK show (SEPT 8-OCT 13, 2007) at LUHRING AUGUSTINE – it’s so obviously the grand daddy – so therefore, its so easy to overlook – but the show’s poster – the only poster from that season, still up on our<\/em> wall – just keeps on rollin’ – looking better and better, as time passes. and you can include ‘KIDS’ here, too. HARMONY KORINE is all about ‘Doc’ style. AGNES B – seems to get it !!<\/p>\nif you wanna to walk the wild side – than, that’d be – my pal, PORTS BISHOP – and if you wanna get really wild – I’d throw artlovers right into the mix, too, cause if I’m not gonna – who is ?<\/p>\n
. . . like the APRIL 29 BlackBook Insider!! says – “Breaking out is hard to do !!” <\/p>\n
those guys, BlackBook – finally – sent out their first decent missive – they got one nano-second to throw something your way – !! – what else – 3 documentary<\/em> portrait photos: COLIN MELOY leaving the DECEMBERISTS, in San Francisco; PETER MOREN, of Peter Bjorn and John, attempting a solo flight in Los Angeles; and ADAM YAUCH (MCA) of the Beastie Boys .. who is, quote: “Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot when he discusses his new documentary!!<\/em> at the Apple Store in SoHo . . . so support these guys in their solo endeavors, because .. as they say, breaking out is hard to do.” <\/p>\nA SELECTION FROM THE AD PAGES OF ARTFORUM\/APRIL 2008:<\/p>\n
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Doc___1.jpg\")
\nRIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA, ‘FOSTER, YOU’RE DEAD’, APRIL 3-31 MAY, 2008,
\nGalleria Emi Fontana, Milano<\/p>\n
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/doc___2.jpg\")
\nPETER HUJAR, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York<\/p>\n
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Doc___3.jpg\")
\n‘Doc’ style painting – MARK TANSEY, ‘FIX’ , 2000, OIL ON CANVAS, 30 x 46 ins. Faurschou\/Copenhagen\/Beijing<\/p>\n
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Doc___4.jpg\")
\n‘Doc’ style drawing – TOMOO GOKITA, APRIL 1-26, 2008, Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo<\/p>\n
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/doc___5.jpg\")
\n‘Doc’ style painting – TIANBING LI, ‘ME AND MY BROTHER, MARCH 20-APRIL 26, 2008,
\nL & M ARTS, New York<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
‘Doc’ PAUL H-O and, ‘Doc’ TOM DONAHUE (co-directors) ‘Guest of Cindy Sherman’ at the afterparty, THE CUTTING ROOM, NYC, TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, APRIL 27, 2008 PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH . . . BRING ON THE ‘DOCS’ !!! as in . . doc-u-mentary !! . . . from full-length (low budget) Indies like: ELEPHANT EYE’S ‘PLANET B-BOY’, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/doc___paul.jpg\")
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Doc_Tom.jpg\")